School reform in Premnitz: Comprehensive school starts with 900 signatures!

School reform in Premnitz: Comprehensive school starts with 900 signatures!

In the small town of Premnitz, an important decision is imminent: the conversion of the existing high school into a comprehensive school. At a recent information event, experts, skeptics and interested citizens discussed this project. Chairman of the city council, Christian Peter from the Döberitz Mögelin Premnitz electoral community, moderated the discussion, in which Elke Nermerich, deputy of the district administrator, also presented the district's school development plan. According to her, the forecast number of students in Havelland justifies the establishment of a comprehensive school in Premnitz in order to offer a high school level.

Three weeks ago, a change to comprehensive schools was actually rejected; However, the current approach to school development planning now seems more optimistic. The forecasts suggest that identifying with a new type of school could have positive effects on the number of students. Harald Schmidt from the State Education Authority also commented and assured that if there were enough people interested in taking the Abitur, there was no need to fear a “narrow-track Abitur”.

Support from the population

The discussions also intensified thanks to the support from the population. Mayor Thomas Rosenberg received a petition with over 900 signatures arguing for the introduction of a comprehensive school. Alexander Goldmann, the deputy mayor of Rathenow, emphasized the need to create a strong educational offer for children from West Havelland.

The discussion about a possible transfer of the high school to the district was largely no longer considered relevant. While skeptics expressed themselves, their concerns about the district's student projections appeared to be allayed, further fueling optimism about the project.

Decision is imminent

The final decision on converting the high school into a comprehensive school will be made on July 1, 2025 at the next city council meeting, which will take place in the dining room of the Dachsberg elementary school at 6 p.m. School development planning is a mandatory task for the districts and independent cities in the state of Brandenburg, which is intended to ensure that a comprehensive and close-to-home school offering is created. In this regard, the current planning for the next five years is of central importance in order to do justice to demographic developments and regional conditions, as can be found on the website of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.

The field of participants at the event shows how important the topic of school conversion is for the entire region. With concrete planning steps and a broad discussion, Premnitz could soon take a significant step in the educational landscape of Havelland.

For more information about school development planning in Brandenburg, the state's statistics platform is also available, where data and figures on the development of schools, student numbers and their connection to professional locations can be found.

For anyone interested: [maz-online] reports comprehensively on developments in Premnitz, while [statistics-berlin-brandenburg] always provides current data. The [mbjs-fachportal] also offers deeper insights into school development planning, which is important for future educational offerings in the region.